Night sight for firearms



Oct. 6, 1931. J. F. KEY f NIGHT rSIGHT Foa Maximus Filed June 1, 1929 2 sheets-sheet 1 Z Z l j e T qu JE ab i j au Jl f f, i f, .HIIHMHIH a f ,M n ,n l w u 77 9 2 Z 0 2J vllllllllllllllll/ .-Oct. 6,1831.4 J. F. KEY 1,825,004

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Fned June 1. 1929 2 Sheets-snee: 2

Patented Oct.' 6,v 1931 UNITED "STATES JAMES FRANCIS KEY, F PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO LEONARD S. LYON, OF LOS ANGELES,. CALIFORNIA NIGHT SIGHT FOR FIREARMS Application led Iune 1', 1929. Serial, No. 367,657,"

This invention relates to a device for sighting firearms' at night.

Heretofore it has been suggested to combiney with a firearm a light capable of prok duci-nga pencil ray of light parallel with the bore of the firing arm so that the point that the pencil of light strikes will indicate the point where a shot from the firearm will hit. These devices have not gone into extensive use for the reason that in practice, the recoil of a firearm has been sufiicient to destroy the filament of the light. It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a night sight Jfor a firearm which will be unaffected by the recoil of the firearm to the end that a night sight for a firearm is provided which may be repeatedly used.

More specifically stated, the object of the present invention is to provide a sight for a firearm which has means for permanently or temporarily attaching the same to the fir Varm in such a. way that the recoil of the firearm places no shock upon the filament of the light of the night sighting appliance.

ferent specific forms of attachment between the night sighting appliance and the firearm itself. In one or the maj or or preferable form of the invention, the night sighting appliance is so constructed that the' firearm may be laid in a groove or other guiding device in the night sighting implement and when fired may recoil away from or se arate from the night sighting appliance wit out placing any recoil or shock upon the appliance. In the other form of the invention, the night sighting appliance is so combined with'the firearm as to be at the center of the pivoting recoiling action of the firearm so that the shock is not imposed upon the filament of the night sighting appliance.

Various further features, advantages and objects of the present invention will be apparent from the description of a Apreferred form or example of a firearm embodying the invention. For this purposevthere is here after described a number of preferred forms and examples of night sighting appliances for firearms embodying the invention. The

The inventicr includes generally two difg description is given in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view' of one form f the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view )artialf5 l in horizontal section of the same orm of t ie invention.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an elevation mainly in vertical et; section of a modified form of the mvention.

Fi re 5 is an elevation of a further modified orm of the invention.

Fi re 6 is an elevation of a further modified orm of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the appliance of Figures 1 to 8 of the drawings comprises a battery casing 2 and a flashlight casmg 3, both of cylindrical form and arranged parallel to each other. The battery casing and T0 flashlight casing are supported by a bracket 4 which is provided between the casings with a firearm barrel rest 5 in the form of a channel iron, the sides of which are adapted to enage the barrel 6 of a firearm 7 (Figure l). `'1;5

The flashlight casing 3 is welded or otherwise ,secured to the bracket 4 with relation to the sighting rest 5, so that these elements will be parallel in o eration. Each particular type of firearm o course varies in shape of firing so barrel, muzzle, etc. and slight alterations arek required to adapt the present invention to the different makes and t pes of firearms.

In the preferred orm of the invention, the guiding rest 5 is secured to the bracket 4185 by set screws 8 passing through openings 9 which are suiiiciently larger than the set screws 8, to permit an accurate alignment -bctween the guide 5 and the flashlight casing 3. Washers or shims 10 are shown between the 0o guiding member 5 and the base bracket 4.

The uiding member 5 is located down between t e two casings 2 and 3 in order that the sides of these casings, extending up above the guide 5, may in practice operate as a 05 means for guiding the barrel of the gun downr against the rest 5. It will be understood that f the n and the night sighting appliance have no astening therebetween and may be carried separately at night. The night guiding de- 10c vice may be grasped in one hand, the gun in the other hand and one quickly laid against the other and the casings 2 and 3 extending upwardly above the rest facilitates the quick bringing together s of the firearm and Vthe night sighting appliance.

The battery casing 2 may be of any usual or preferred construction, its sole function being to provide aholder for batteries such as 10 and 11 for energizing the light in the flashlight casing. In the particular form shown, two conventional batteries are illustrated,the forward one of which engages a Contact 12 in an insulating body 13 at the forward end of the casing, which contact 12 connects with a wire 14 which leads under the O'uide 5 to the flashlight vcasing connecting there with a switch arm 15. The other terminal of the batteries is grounded with the frame. The said second terminal which is usually the shell of the batteries 10 and 11 isV grounded to the casing through the spring 16 holding the rear cap 17 to the casing.

The fiashlight casing 3 referably includes an insulating sleeve 18, t e forward end of which engages a head 19 rigidly secured to the casing wall 3 by welding, soldering or the like. A pin 20 is provided interconnecting the insulating sleeve 18 and the head 19 to insure proper alignment of these elements. The head 19 is threaded to a light paralleling tube or tube casing 21 which is provided with a number of small tubes 22 which serve the function of bafilinl out all light from the flashlight which fails to come within the certain narrow pencil of light.

The insulating sleeve 18 has a groove therein receiving a lens 23, the purpose of which is to parallel the rays of light emitted from an incandescent bulb 24. A ring 25 is indicated against which the lens is pressed. The incandescent bulb 24 is mounted by a chuck member 26 which has an accurate fit in an cnd groove 27 in the sleeve 18. The chuck 26 is rovided with a bore 28 having an annular sionldcr 29 against which a ring 30 is pressed, which ring is secured to a second ring 31 which carriesthe bulb 24. Ad'usting screws 32 are provided for properly aligning or positioning the incandescent bulb 24 1n the chuck 26. By this means a mounting is provided for thelight which will insure the light being accur'atel positioned in the casing.l

The ring 30 is prevented from rotating in the chuck by a piu 33 engaging the chuck andy ring. The end contact of the incandescent bulb 24 is engaged by a plate or'disc 34 which is yieldiugly urged thereagainst by a coil lspring 35 iu an end cap 36. The end cap 36 is indicated as threaded to the flashlight casing 3. The space inside of the coil spring 35 provided room forstoring a spare incandescent bulb 37 and a mounting ring.

Switch means are provided for the incandescent bulb, as best illustrated in Figure 3,

said switch means comprising the spring wire' 15 connected with the lead 14 from the bat-- tery terminal, the free end of which spring wire 15 is adapted to be pressed by an operating button 16n against the free end of a second contact of spring wire 17a which leads as shown in Figure 1, to the sleeve of the 1ncandescent bulb 24 and hence to the filament thereof. It will be seen that the end termithe firearm in the guiding groove 5, it has been found that very inex erienced people may at night make a better 'ring record than experienced marksmen can accomplish in the daytime. Moreover, the appliance may be repeatedly used. It will be seen that when the firearm 7 recoils on account of the discharge of a shot, the barrel kicks upwardly and away from the sighting appliance without imposing any shock thereon. Thus the appliance may be repeatedly used.

Now referring to the form of the invention shown in Figure 4, this form is for use with a difiere' t shape of firearm, such'an an automatic pistol which does not possess a barrel of sufficient length to be fitted into the guiding channel rest 5 of the previous form of the invention. This form of the invention is also so constructed that the night sighting appliance and firearm are connected together so as to be held by a single hand and are arranged so that they will not separate themselves entirely upon each shot.

In this form of the invention, a casing 40 is provided for batteries 41, one terminal of which is connected with the base by a lead 42 with the base terminal of an incandescent bulb 43. The incandescent bulb 43 is mounted in a tube 44 which is provided with a plurality of baffles 45 for blocking out those ravs of light which fail to align themselves in the desired pencil form. A lens 46 is also provided in the barrel or tube of the incandescent light for assisting in paralleling the light. The tube holding the incandescent light is secured to a bracket 47 which is suitably shaped to engage certain faces on an automatic pistol, indicated in dotted lines at 48, so that when the said pistol is engaging constituting an the pistol and properly align theseJ parts. The hand will also operate then as a'spring holding the night sighting appliance to the firearm. When the firearm is discharged, it

will recoil awayfrom the night sighting apphance without placing any shock thereon. The hand will operate to absorb the recoil so that when the limit of motion is reached, which is governed bythe stirrup 49, no appreciable shock is placed upon the night sighting appliance but the parts are merely held from falling apart. The hand may then quickly restore the night sighting appliance of the firearm into the registered position and the apparatus is found ready for further discharges.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, forms of the invention are shown in which there is a permanent attachment between the Hashlight casing and the firearm. In these forms of the invention, in order to prevent the recoil of the firearm from destroying the filament of the flashlight, advantage has to be taken of the fact that the recoil of the firearm is a pivoting action which takes place therefore about a center. By locating the filament of the flashlight at the axis of this pivoting action or by connecting the flashlight with a part so positioned, a permanent connection may be made between the firearm and the flashlight without the recoil of the firearm destroying the filament of the light.

In Figure 5 the firearm 50 is shown as pivoted at 51 to a bracket 52 which has two clamping parts 53 and 54 so constructed that they are adapted to be clamped around a bar. For example, this form of the invention is especially suitable for use on motorcycles wherein the parts 53 and 54 are clamped around the handlebar of a motorcycle. A clamping screw 55 is indicated for holding the parts 'in position. The pivot point 51 must be located substantially at the center of recoil action of the pistol 5() in order that the shock of recoil will not be placed upon the bracket 52. The bracket 52 is made to mount the flashlight 56 which serves as the .sighting device and the top of the flashlight casing 56 is so shaped as to bear against the guard 57 of the trigger or some other portion of the pistol 50 in order to bring these parts into predetermined position.

In Figure 6 the flashlight 58 is indicated as integral part of the pistol 59 with the bulb of the flashlight located at the exact center of the recoil action.

While the particular forms of the invention herein described are well adapted for carrying out the objects of invention, various changes andmodifications maybe made w1thout departing from the invention and the 1nvention includes all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: v n

1. A night sighting device for a nrearm comprising, a source of light, means for emitting the light from'said source as a narrow ray, and a firearm rest constructed to register the barrel of the firearm with said narrow -ray when the firearm is engaging said rest,

said rest being constructed so that the firearm will separate from the rest when recoiling without imposing a substantial shock on the rest.

2. A night sighting device for a firearm comprising, a source of light, means for emitting alight from said source as a narrow ray, a rest connected with said means for engaging a firearm, said rest being constructed to register the firearm barrel with the ray of light, said rest further being arranged so that a firearm engaging the rest on recoiling will' separate therefrom without imposing any substantial shock on the rest, and means for guiding the firearm barrel into engagement with said rest.

3. A night sighting device for a firearm comprising, a battery casing and a light casing connected together, the light casing being provided with a lens and means for emitting only such light from the casing as occupies a narrow ray, a firearm barrel rest connected to said light casing in such manner that a' firearm barrel engaging said rest will be registered with the ray of light from said casing, said rest being shaped so that the firearm barrel on recoiling will separate from the rest without imposing a shock thereon.

4. A night sighting device as in claim 3 in which the battery and light casings provide guiding means for guiding the firearm barrel towards the rest.

5. A night sighting device for a firearm. comprising, a flashlight including a bulb, means for emitting the light as a narrow ray, a chuck mounting the bulb, means for aligning said chuckin predetermined positions in the flashlight, and a firearm rest attached to said casing in such manner that a firearm engaging said rest will have its barrel registeredwith the ray of light from said casing, said rest further being arranged so that the recoil of the firearm will permit the firearm to separate from the rest without the recoil shock being imposed thereon.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 23rd day of May, 1929. v

JAMES FRANCIS KEY. 

